December 22, 2022
There are two ways to get rid of deer in your yard: gun or fence. I’ve used both and in the end, my chosen method is a fence. With gun on standby.
I 'm Sheri Burke, plant lover, and let me say that if there is a plant nursery on my daily path of errands, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to my BFF’s house, I stop. If there is a nursery on my path to visit family, I stop.
This stop-for-every-nursery path of mine led me to the idea of making yearly trips with my Aunt Patti (just as crazy about all things plants as I am) with no objective except to visit nurseries and public gardens. We pick a general destination, let’s say Oregon. We make a list of all the nurseries on our path, depending upon which freeway we decide to travel. And we head out!
I drive, Aunt Patti navigates. And we have a rule: she has her side of the vehicle, I have mine, and the two cannot encroach on the other without paying rent or a free plant. We take food and drink with us because stopping somewhere to eat means less time at a nursery!
Only after we have been thrown out of the last nursery for the day do we start looking for a hotel. Luckily, we have not had to sleep in the car. We love living on the edge. So come along and enjoy with us our journey of plant nursery joy!
First Visit?
JUST A SUGGESTION! Begin with post 01 Dragonfly Farm. Find my archives here.
December 2, 2022
I hope after reading my blog post #25 you went "Conifer Crazy" and ran out and bought some conifers for your yard. This happened to me a few weeks ago when I texted AP to say I needed a day away at some nurseries. She was up for it of course because she and I are like that. So we took off and headed to Berkeley, then to San Raphael, Petaluma, Cotati, and then Sonoma. We did all this in one day of course because...she and I are like that!
November 18, 2022
I have visited nurseries in Santa Cruz with AP several times and lord knows how we passed over this little gem of a boutique nursery. It’s a concrete building on a corner with windows along the front that look in on the gift shop. But we like to get an idea of what the actual nursery is like to decide if it’s worth our time. So we explored along the wall facing a side street and found a locked gate that gave us a peak into the plant area. We could only see a little bit of it—but that was enough to get us all excited for The Unknown!
November 4, 2022
In blog post #49 I was excited to tell you about my new She Shed and about a fabulous lamp post that was to be installed at one of the front corners of the shed. But I could only show you a photo of an upside down nursery pot covering the lamp's installation bolts cemented in place. The lamp post was to be my 2020 birthday present from Mike and, well, it's now 2022 and the lamp post is finally in place. So here's the rest of that story!
October 14, 2022
Before new management took over Thompson Building Materials & Nursery in Sacramento, it was called Silverado. At all other times—except in my blog—I will forever call it Silverado like the locals. In writing I’ll use Thompson’s out of respect I guess. (Though it’s hard to respect that logo. Looks like it belongs on an auto parts store!)
September 30, 2022
We visited this lovely public garden during a recent vacation on Cape Cod with Mike, Evelyn and Chas. A couple months earlier, "CBS Sunday This Morning"—my all-time favorite TV show—featured the Heritage. And since our Cape Cod trip was already booked, of course I decided I must see the gardens. Which meant dragging 3 other people along with me. We had a great time, but I do need to write a letter that begins: "To Whoever Designed And Built The Freeways In Boston: WTF were you all thinking!!!"
September 16, 2022
I parked the van, looked at Navarro’s entrance and said to AP, “Just succulents in pots. This isn’t going to be much of a nursery.” By now I trust my judgement—whether a nursery, landscape or somebody’s “garden.” And I have to say, at first glance I’m usually right. Ask AP. We hopped out anyway, well more like fell out ‘cuz the van sits high off the ground, and we headed toward the gate. “Yup,” I thought, “another ho-hum nursery,” and I got ready to be bored.
September 1, 2022
I love annuals. But unlike AP who lays down serious money at nurseries for already-grown annuals, I grow my own. I mean—literally—buying annuals is like burning $5-bills! Annies Annuals & Perennials, one of our favorites, loves AP! They see her waltzing into their nursery and rub their hands thinking "Burn baby, burn."
August 19, 2022
On one of our Oregon trips, AP and I visited 45 nurseries in 5 days. (Yes we have super powers—actually more like obsessions that make us unstoppable!) Out of those 45 nurseries—plus others we visited on a different Oregon trip—there are probably 20 nurseries that AP cannot find all her photos for. She says they’re in a cloud somewhere that apparently floated away into the unknown!
Sheri Lynn Burke
My journey began as a small child watching and helping my mom in the garden. Years later, I bought a home, had those kids, had an ugly landscape and thought, "I can do better." So for the next 10 years, thousands (and thousands) of dollars went to plants. But I became a serial killer as 80% of them died. "Screw this!" I said. I had an eye for design but didn't know how to keep the damn plants alive! I procrastinated for 5 years ('cuz I wanted more death) and then became a certified Master Gardener. Four years and three pieces of paper later, I got a Horticulture degree. No longer a serial killer, I'm now a landscape designer and contractor with my own business. I had to train this green thumb that I got from my mother. But, Mom, I owe it all to you!
December 22, 2022
There are two ways to get rid of deer in your yard: gun or fence. I’ve used both and in the end, my chosen method is a fence. With gun on standby.
December 2, 2022
I hope after reading my blog post #25 you went "Conifer Crazy" and ran out and bought some conifers for your yard. This happened to me a few weeks ago when I texted AP to say I needed a day away at some nurseries. She was up for it of course because she and I are like that. So we took off and headed to Berkeley, then to San Raphael, Petaluma, Cotati, and then Sonoma. We did all this in one day of course because...she and I are like that!
November 18, 2022
I have visited nurseries in Santa Cruz with AP several times and lord knows how we passed over this little gem of a boutique nursery. It’s a concrete building on a corner with windows along the front that look in on the gift shop. But we like to get an idea of what the actual nursery is like to decide if it’s worth our time. So we explored along the wall facing a side street and found a locked gate that gave us a peak into the plant area. We could only see a little bit of it—but that was enough to get us all excited for The Unknown!
November 4, 2022
In blog post #49 I was excited to tell you about my new She Shed and about a fabulous lamp post that was to be installed at one of the front corners of the shed. But I could only show you a photo of an upside down nursery pot covering the lamp's installation bolts cemented in place. The lamp post was to be my 2020 birthday present from Mike and, well, it's now 2022 and the lamp post is finally in place. So here's the rest of that story!
October 14, 2022
Before new management took over Thompson Building Materials & Nursery in Sacramento, it was called Silverado. At all other times—except in my blog—I will forever call it Silverado like the locals. In writing I’ll use Thompson’s out of respect I guess. (Though it’s hard to respect that logo. Looks like it belongs on an auto parts store!)
September 30, 2022
We visited this lovely public garden during a recent vacation on Cape Cod with Mike, Evelyn and Chas. A couple months earlier, "CBS Sunday This Morning"—my all-time favorite TV show—featured the Heritage. And since our Cape Cod trip was already booked, of course I decided I must see the gardens. Which meant dragging 3 other people along with me. We had a great time, but I do need to write a letter that begins: "To Whoever Designed And Built The Freeways In Boston: WTF were you all thinking!!!"
September 16, 2022
I parked the van, looked at Navarro’s entrance and said to AP, “Just succulents in pots. This isn’t going to be much of a nursery.” By now I trust my judgement—whether a nursery, landscape or somebody’s “garden.” And I have to say, at first glance I’m usually right. Ask AP. We hopped out anyway, well more like fell out ‘cuz the van sits high off the ground, and we headed toward the gate. “Yup,” I thought, “another ho-hum nursery,” and I got ready to be bored.
September 1, 2022
I love annuals. But unlike AP who lays down serious money at nurseries for already-grown annuals, I grow my own. I mean—literally—buying annuals is like burning $5-bills! Annies Annuals & Perennials, one of our favorites, loves AP! They see her waltzing into their nursery and rub their hands thinking "Burn baby, burn."
August 19, 2022
On one of our Oregon trips, AP and I visited 45 nurseries in 5 days. (Yes we have super powers—actually more like obsessions that make us unstoppable!) Out of those 45 nurseries—plus others we visited on a different Oregon trip—there are probably 20 nurseries that AP cannot find all her photos for. She says they’re in a cloud somewhere that apparently floated away into the unknown!